Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Stud Muffin

Goodness, it's been 2 weeks since my last update.  I am slacking, a lot.  But, on another note, where has the time gone? 

I have been slacking a bit in the photo department lately, too.  I don't really know why, but I do need to get my butt back in gear.  I look back at all of the photos I have taken, and love to reminisce about them all.  So, I need to start back up with capturing our memories that we have together.  You know, to highlight the fact that we admire the small things. 

Like.....enjoying these pictures of our little stud.  Aren't they completely to die for?  If you are anything like me, you can't help but smile.....every. single. time. you look at them. 

I hope to be back more often with updates.  For right now, I will leave you with these pictures of our Monster.  






Happy Wednesday!  We are nearing the weekend, and I am excited about that!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Another Petting Zoo

Last Friday, Carl and I took Carson to another petting zoo.  We thought a fun exploring afternoon would be a great way to end our week.  And, it was fabulous!  We all had so much fun.


We took off for the petting zoo, with Carson only having an hour nap under his belt.  This, is usually no good.  But, we thought it's now or never.  Usually he takes about a three hour nap, so we were feeling awfully gutsy that day.  And, the ending was still fabulous.  I would not have been able to tell that he had a short nap that day.  And for that, I thanked our little Wee Lad for an enjoyable afternoon for all. 


We let Carson roam around the farm, and do whatever he wanted.  We were the only people there, so our options were unlimited.  So, he took off for the Duck Races, which was a huge tank full of water.  He was soaked by the time we were done with the racing, as I am sure you can imagine.  Carl and I were doing most of the racing.  My duck usually won.  Or, maybe we tied.  Yeah, let's go with tied.  We aren't competitive people by any means...HA!  Carson LOVED the Duck Races, as I am sure you will be able to tell from the pictures. 










After we pried our dripping wet little guy from the water, we ventured over to see the ducks, cows, donkeys, horses, and the big pig.  We fed most of the animals along the way, and Carson started giggling when the horse took the food out of his hand.  The cute little "I'm not so sure what is going on right now, so I will just giggle anyway" kind of giggle.  It's such a cute sound!





We then found our way to the corn pile.  I didn't know what Carson would think of it, because he hasn't ever been in one before, but he took right to it.  He dove right it, and started playing.  So did Daddy!  My two boys are like two peas in a pod.  Not kidding.



We kept moving along through the farm, and went into the next barn.  It had a hay maze in it.  It was a really neat set up for the kids.  Carson took off running through it.  He knew just what to do.  After he finished, we all applauded for him, and he decided to go through it again.  But this time, with the trike.  He can't reach the petals, so Dad got the privilege tiring job of pushing him.  I think he made it two rounds through the maze, and then distracted Carson with something new to do.  Like, go upstairs in the hay mount to find a basketball court, and a hay fort!





Next up, the camel, and buffalo!  Carson was rather intrigued by how big the camel was, but wasn't a huge fan of getting really close to him.  So, we made that stop rather quick, and continued to move along.



And, of course Carson found some cats while on the farm.  His face lights up whenever he stumbles across a kitty.  He always gets so excited, and takes off on a dead sprint towards the cats, in hopes of picking them up.



We played on the playground for a while, Carson made his way back to the duck races, and we ended with the bouncy house.  Carson loves to jump, so we thought he would be thrilled about this.  But, he didn't jump right in like we thought he would.  So, I went in with him to begin with, and then made my quick escape.  Then the fun began.  Carson was having a blast jumping!  Of course, it never fails.  First we couldn't get him in it, and then he cries when we take him out.  He was so pooped by the time we were done at the petting zoo, and we had to get going home so Daddy could get to work.  He didn't cry long, so we were happy about that.








The petting zoo was a perfect size for a day visit.  We were there for a few hours, and we all had so much fun!  I am sure we will be back again.  It was a wonderful way to spend our Friday afternoon together as a family.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Catching Up

Ok, I will admit.  I have been slacking in the blog department lately.  I feel like we have been so busy lately, that I hardly have time to upload pictures off my camera, let alone put them together with a blog entry.  So, I will try and play a little catch up.  After all, it is Thursday evening, and I am just now going to report on our Labor Day Weekend.  And, before I know it, this next weekend will be here!  So, here goes.......

This weekend was fabulous.  Busy....very busy.  But, fabulous none the less.

My Grandma Sally, from Indiana, was in town for the weekend.  We were very excited to see her, and it was a lot of fun having her around.  On Friday, we took a little road trip to Hampton.  We went to a few really cute stores, one of them being "Orange Possum."  Super cute, and very unique stuff!  Check it out if you get a chance.

Saturday was the BIG day.  The BIG party.  We pulled off a surprise birthday party for my Grandma, which was a Weichers reunion.  She turned 70 this year, so it was a lot of fun to surprise her with loving faces that she doesn't see very often.  People came from a far distance, and it was fun to have everyone together.




Think she was surprised?  I think we pulled off a successful surprise party!


The party was a huge success.  We played games, just like Grandma would have planned the party.  The kids kept themselves entertained with cups, and everyone stuck around for the good food, and good conversations.  Who would have thought that cups would be so much fun?  Oh man, these kids had so much fun with them!  It was rather impressive, actually.


This would be our family picture.  Hey, at least Carson is content and pointed in the same direction of the camera.  That doesn't happen very often.  Ok, minor detail....the little guy is sleeping!  :) 


Grandma with her big birthday cake.


Pretty cool, huh?!  These cups kept all of the kids busy forever! 


A "siblings" shot.  And, for some reason, Chris looks like he has a tiny head!  Haha.



Sunday morning we started the day off with a brunch at my parents' house, to honor my Grandma one more time.  It was a beautiful day out, and everyone enjoyed more good food.  

Four generations of girls!


Check out this smiling sweetheart!



Carson enjoying himself while playing outside with some new friends.



Grandma Sally with her "great-grandkids."  She has her hands full :)



From there, we headed out to my Dad's house, to his birthday party.  My Dad turns 50 this year, another big mileston-er!

It took Carson a while to warm up to the strange faces he was not used to seeing.  But, he eventually did, and had a lot of fun.  He had people on the edge of their seats, all day long, because of his fear-less personality.  This kid loves to jump.  A while back, when he started this jumping thing, it was just funny, because he was mocking the motions of jumping.  He never cleared the ground, so it looked like he was doing some funky dance moves.  But now?  Now he gets air.  He clears the ground.  This kid is a monster on two feet :)  And, of course the boy in him, has to take it to the next level.  Now he is jumping off chairs, jumping down stairs, jumping off tables.....everything to send other adults into a mere heart-attack state of mind.  A few times we heard the words..."I just can't watch him, he makes me so nervous!"  Yeah, we feel the same way.  He jumped off the cement steps, and face planted it into the ground.  Everyone was so impressed that he didn't cry.  You see....if it's his idea, he won't cry.  He is all boy, I tell you. 

We took some family pictures in front of the tractor(s) and we actually got some good ones.





Grandpa with his grand kiddos in the tractor.




And, Carson was showing everyone a few of his body parts, when asked where they were.  His head, belly button, and nose.  He is such a ham!




 

Carson and Daddy always have so much fun when they are together.  Such a cute picture!


 ....and then Carl covered Carson in grass.  He thought it was hilarious.  I guess his shirt really does say it all "Dirt makes me cuter" ....it sure does :)





Carson also had some fun in the tractor with Uncle Chris.  He was very leery about this big tractor at first.  But, once he got inside, and found all of the buttons, he was on cloud 9.  Chris eventually started up the tractor, and Carson's eyes got huge.  He didn't know what to think.  He immediately raced to my lap, and got to his comfort zone.  He then moved over to Chris's lap, and thought driving the big tractor was pretty cool.  Chris let him touch a few buttons, and of course he went right to the throttle.  We had that tractor revving up, making loud noises, and it was so funny!  Carson would look at Chris, and laugh.  He knew he was doing it, and thought he was pretty big stuff. 

  


When it was time to leave, Carson actually showed some interest in Natalie, it was too cute.  He wanted to help buckle her into her carseat, and he knew just what to do!  He got each strap around her arms, buckled the middle piece, buckled the straps in, put her blanket on her, and moved the handle so they could carry her.  And, he was actually nice to her during the whole process!  Whew, that makes me so happy!

 


After Dad's birthday party, we headed to a friend's house, and had some fun around a fire.  We didn't stay long, as we were all exhausted from a busy day of being on the go.  I think we all slept really well on Sunday night!

Monday morning came, and we were on the go again.  We headed to Waterloo to return a few things, and then got back home.  We were both itching to just be home for a while.  Get a few things done around the house, and just hang out.  I decorated for Fall, as this is my favorite time of year.  I love the colors, the scents, my Fall decor, and the weather.  Carson helped me decorate, and then I sent him outside to help Dad.  Carl is still working on our soffet area around the house.  Carson helped Dad for a little while, and then Carl sent him back inside to help me.  Ha.

We had a very busy 3-day weekend, but it was a lot of fun.  We were surrounded by family, loved ones, and friends.  That is enough to make the weekend grand as can be.  We have so much to be thankful for this Labor Day weekend!